Standing in front of an old white truck, Zayzal contemplated his next move. He peeked through the window and noticed that it wasn’t stained with blood, unlike the others. Though that was the case, there were no keys in it. 

“Anyone know how to hotwire a car?” He asked Sera and Marcus, but both of them shook their heads. 

“Never owned a car.”

“Hardly ever used mine.”

Zayzal clicked his tongue, but he guessed as much. “Whatever. It can’t be that hard, right?”

He’d seen videos of people hotwiring old cars. Since he could use mana, he should be able to jumpstart a car… right?

Shaking his head, he moved over to the backseat window and smashed it with his elbow, breaking the glass. Reaching over, he unlocked the door, climbed into the car, and opened the driver’s side.

Crawling through to the driver’s seat, Zayzal surveyed the dashboard of the old white truck. The interior was dusty but, thankfully, free of any signs of a violent struggle. He reached under the steering column, pulling out a tangle of wires. His hands hesitated for a moment, recalling fragments of information he'd seen in videos and read online.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, his fingers working to strip the insulation off a couple of wires.

Sera peered through the broken window, her expression a mix of curiosity and skepticism. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Zayzal gave her a wry smile. "Not really, but how hard can it be?"

Marcus, standing guard by the truck, glanced over his shoulder. "Just don't electrocute yourself."

Zayzal chuckled. "I'll try my best." Focusing on the task, he twisted the exposed wires together, hoping for a spark of life from the truck. Nothing happened at first, prompting him to frown.

Taking a deep breath, he concentrated, channeling a small stream of mana into the wires. The electrical system of the truck flickered to life, dashboard lights glowing dimly. A surge of excitement rushed through him. "Come on," he urged, giving the wires another twist.

With a sputtering cough, the engine roared into life, causing Sera to jump back in surprise. Zayzal's face lit up with a triumphant grin. "Ha! I knew I could do it!"

Sera rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. "Lucky guess."

Marcus walked over to the driver's side and sighed in relief. "Looks like we're in business. Let's not waste any more time."

Zayzal nodded, revving the engine a bit before turning to look at his companions. "All aboard the escape truck. Next stop, somewhere that's not here."

Sera climbed into the passenger seat while Marcus and Fenrir settled in the back. The old truck wasn't the most comfortable or stylish of vehicles, but it was their ticket out of the area.

As Zayzal drove, the truck rumbled along the uneven roads. They headed east toward Hungary as Zayzal wanted to cross as few countries as possible. 

Right now, nearly every country is facing its own unique problems. For Denmark, half the country ended up underwater. Germany was riddled with sinkholes and dungeons. Austria was dealing with “Mana Mirages”. 

There was a rumor that France was under martial law, dealing with some sort of “zombie” outbreak. Whether they were like those from science fiction or not was unknown, but the country was on lockdown, preventing anyone from going in or out. 

He couldn’t be sure that every country was facing some sort of threat, but Zayzal wasn’t all that interested to find out. 

‘Let’s see. If I want to take a route that eliminates as many unknown and dangerous variables as possible, the best way to go would be through Austria to Hungary, head through Romania or Serbia, into Bulgaria, and finally Greece.’ Zayzal planned out in his mind. 

Although it’d take a bit longer, he could prevent at least 4 environmental variables by doing so. 

Not to mention, the shortest route bordered the Adriatic Sea. Coupled with his experience in Denmark, he was still wary of any large bodies of water. 

Suddenly finding himself under 50 feet of water wasn’t how he wanted to go out, after all. 

After confirming the route, Zayzal turned his attention back to the road.

As they approached Oberdrauburg, the next town over, the old truck's rumble provided a comforting background noise. Zayzal’s eyes scanned the road ahead, alert for any signs of danger or obstacles. 

Sera sat beside him, occasionally glancing at the rearview mirror, while Marcus and Fenrir remained vigilant in the back. This was their first time venturing out into civilization since the start of the mana apocalypse.

The landscape gradually shifted from open fields to a more urban setting as they neared the outskirts of Oberdrauburg. The town that was once a quaint and peaceful place now looked like an army had marched through. Buildings were damaged, and debris littered the streets, with hardly any signs of life.

As they entered the town, Zayzal's keen eyes spotted something amiss—a barricade blocking the road ahead. He slowed the truck, his instincts on high alert. "Something's not right," he murmured.

Sera leaned forward, squinting at the barricade. "Looks like we're not the only ones around here."

Marcus tensed up but said nothing.

They proceeded cautiously, the truck inching closer to the barricade. Suddenly, several cars pulled up from side streets, effectively surrounding them. Doors slammed shut as armed individuals emerged, pointing guns at the truck.

Zayzal's grip on the steering wheel tightened. The group's eyes met, and a silent understanding passed between them. They were in a shitty situation.

The armed individuals began aggressively shouting in Austrian. "Get out of the truck! Hand over everything you have!"

Marcus shifted uneasily, his hand inching towards his knife as Fenrir growled. Sera placed a reassuring hand on his fur and said, "I can create a barrier. It'll hold off their bullets for a while. So, just sit still and don’t do anything stupid."

Zayzal surveyed their surroundings, assessing their options. They were completely blocked off, with no immediate escape route. Road spikes lay ahead, eliminating any chance of a forward charge.

After a moment of contemplation, he nodded decisively. "We'll try to talk our way out of this." He turned to Marcus. "Repeat after me and try to sound convincing."

Marcus nodded, ready to play his part. Zayzal leaned slightly out of the window, his expression calm but firm. "We mean you no harm. We're just travelers passing through."

Marcus repeated the words in Austrian, doing his best to keep a steady voice.

The armed group hesitated, their guns still trained on the truck. The leader, a burly man with a thick beard, stepped forward. "Why should we trust you?"

Zayzal continued, choosing his words carefully. "We have supplies that we can share. Food, water... We don't want any trouble. Just want to pass through and be on our way.”

Marcus translated, his eyes never leaving the leader. The man seemed to consider their words, his grip on his weapon loosening slightly.

Sera whispered to Zayzal, "If this doesn't work, I'll put up the barrier on your signal."

Zayzal gave her a subtle nod, his mind racing with backup plans. ‘...I don’t want to have to kill someone, if possible. If we can get through this without fighting, that’d be for the best.’ 

To this day, he still hasn’t killed another person. Injured? Sure, but not killed. Humanity was already declining at a rapid rate, with over half the population gone in just a few weeks. He didn’t want to be a contributing factor to the slow yet almost eventual extinction of humans. 

Someday, he knew he’d have to, such as Kaldrik’s case, but he’d rather a couple of street thugs didn’t force his hand.

‘I also have a feeling that… my [Adaptability] talent will force me to perceive killing humans as something normal. Even though I know that there are plenty of bad people, I don’t want to become a cold-blooded murderer who’ll do anything for survival and power.’ He concluded as his eyes became firm. 

Even if he had to give up some food and water, he wouldn’t provoke these guys. 

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

Before Zayzal could respond, in the eyes of the bandits, his truck began to shift and morph, transforming into something inhuman. Within seconds, they changed from a vehicle to an eldritch horror monster made up of human flesh. 

Limbs, heads, and bodies formed a giant mass of wriggling flesh, with the eyes on the severed heads glowing like headlights. The bandits’ eyes widened as they started yelling and panicking.

“AHHH!”

“SHOOT! SHOOT THAT MONSTER!”

“I knew it! I KNEW THEY WERE TRYING TO TRICK US!”

Zayzal, Sera, Marcus, and Fenrir all hunkered down, knowing something was wrong. “Sera! Barrier! Now!” Zayzal yelled.

Sera reacted instantly, her hands glowing with a faint golden light as she summoned a barrier. The translucent shield enveloped the truck just as the first bullets pelted against it. The impacts created spiderweb-like cracks across its surface, but she reinforced it with more mana.

Inside the truck, Zayzal's heart raced. 'This is it,' he thought. 'We have to move now!'

Zayzal didn't hesitate. With a decisive turn of the steering wheel, he floored the accelerator. The vehicle swerved around and charged toward the smallest car blocking their path.

The sound of metal clashing against metal was deafening as the truck rammed into the car, pushing it aside with brute force. The collision sent the car spinning, knocking into several bandits who were too slow to react, as their entire focus was on the ‘monster’ in front of them.

Marcus gripped the sides of his seat, his knuckles turning white, while Fenrir growled but kept close to him. Sera kept her focus, maintaining the barrier despite the cracks spreading across it.

Zayzal maneuvered the truck through the rough terrain, the vehicle bouncing and jolting as it found its way back onto the road. Bullets continued to whiz by, some finding their mark on the truck's body, leaving behind a trail of bullet holes.

"We're almost clear!" Zayzal shouted over the noise, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.

Sera glanced back, noting the persistence of their attackers. "Just a bit more, Zayzal!"

With a final burst of speed, Zayzal steered the truck behind a row of buildings, using them as cover. The sounds of gunfire slowly faded into the distance as they emerged onto the motorway, leaving the chaos of Oberdrauburg behind.

As the adrenaline began to wane, everyone let out a deep breath. Marcus let out a long, shaky breath, his body finally relaxing. "That was… something. I didn’t know you could block bullets. Would’ve been nice if you told me beforehand."

“Hmph! Then why don’t you tell us your talents?” Sera quipped back, causing Marcus to quiet down.

‘Talents? How’d she know I have more than one?’ He wondered inwardly, giving Zayzal and Sera a skeptical stare.

Meanwhile, Sera deactivated the barrier. She looked over at Zayzal and smiled. "You did good."

“You too,” He replied. However, his hands were still firmly on the wheel as he remained focused. "But, we're not out of the woods yet. These mirages are clearly messing with these people’s minds. I think it’d be best if we left this country as fast as possible."

“Agreed.” Sera nodded, followed by Marcus.

The group fell silent, each lost in their thoughts about what they had just experienced as well as the foreseeable future.

***
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